


Where Everyone Knows Your Name

by SeemaG



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: 25 Days of Voyager, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Friendship, Gen, References to Cheers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:47:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27830257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeemaG/pseuds/SeemaG
Summary: It's a normal work from home day for B'Elanna Torres until an unexpected guest or seven show up at the Paris-Torres family holodeck.
Relationships: Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres
Comments: 16
Kudos: 37
Collections: 25 Days of Voyager (2020 Version)





	Where Everyone Knows Your Name

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Curator for suggesting that I fictionalize a RL incident.
> 
> Thank you to Rocky for the beta.

B’Elanna stared at the queue of messages awaiting her attention. Some were marked urgent and others seemed to be conversations where she was merely cc’d. The sheer number of communications was still overwhelming, and she had the sudden urge to pick up her console and throw it out the window of her home office. She took another deep breath, counted to five, and clicked on the first one at the top of the queue.

_Torres, need to re-check auxiliary nacelle drawings. UP shipyard saying the flanges for the manifold piping aren’t lining up! Help! Appreciate your help. Thanks, Reg._

She was in mid-search for the drawings when there was a knock at the door. B’Elanna frowned and then turned.

“Come in,” she called. The door slid open to reveal Korinne, Miral’s nanny. “What’s up?”

“There’s a guy waiting outside the holodeck,” Korinne said, awkwardly twisting her fingers together. “He says he’s an old friend of yours and came in through the side entrance.”

B’Elanna arched her eyebrow. About two years previously, as his holonovel career was really starting to take off, Tom had built a state-of-the-art holodeck in the back part of their property. Public recreational holodecks were in high demand on Mars, and Tom insisted that he needed his own space to visualize the action.

“The muse waits for no one,” he had told her. “When I get an idea…”

So B’Elanna had consented to the construction of the holodeck. And she had to admit it had been a good idea and when Tom wasn’t spending time writing in there, they were using it for family time, or occasionally lent it out to some of their friends.

“’A guy’?” B’Elanna asked now. “Tom isn’t home from his meeting yet, is he?”

Tom had a big meeting with his agents from 24th Century Fox today regarding his upcoming holonovel tour and he had left early in the morning for San Francisco and wasn’t likely to return home before dinner time. She also knew he would be tired when he did get home. As efficient and quick travel was between Earth and Mars these days, sitting in a conference room for hours would be no fun. To add to the misery, Tom normally would make the flight himself but he had been unable to get clearance on the route at such short notice and so he’d resigned himself to the crowded and uncomfortable shuttles.

Korinne shook her head. “No, Mr. Paris is not here.”

“Did this ‘guy’ give a name?” B’Elanna asked.

“No, but there’s a tag on his leather jacket that reads ‘Buster Kincaid.’”

“Harry?” B’Elanna furrowed her brow in confusion. She’d thought Harry Kim, their closest friend from _Voyager_ , was on a mission to Bajor.

Korinne shrugged. “I just thought you’d want to know.”

“Thanks. I suppose I should go say hi.” B’Elanna got up and followed Korinne. “Is Miral still napping?”

“Yes, but it’s been more than an hour so she should be awake soon.”

“Great.” At three years old, B’Elanna knew they were fortunate that Miral still napped, but she knew those days would come to an end sooner rather than later. For now, she was just happy that she could get a certain amount of work done before being distracted by the baby.

B’Elanna went out the back-patio door. The house she and Tom had purchased on Mars was well outside of the crowded suburbs of Utopia Planitia, and as a result, they were able to procure about five acres. It allowed for plenty of room for both the house and the holodeck facility, as well as space for Miral to play; eventually they planned to put in a pool but that would mean expanding the environmental dome. And because they were so far from the city lights, they had a nice view of the Martian sky at night. Even after nearly two years, B’Elanna never got tired of the view. She quickly walked down the path and to the holodeck and sure enough, Harry Kim, in full Buster Kincaid gear, was sitting in the monochromatic world of Captain Proton. He scrambled to his feet as B’Elanna entered.

“Hi,” she said.

“B’Elanna!” he gave her a big, warm hug. “It’s so good to see you. Where’s Tom?”

“On his way back from San Francisco,” B’Elanna said. She paused, picking her next words carefully. “Was he… expecting you?”

Harry shook his head. “Got back from Bajor early, have a few days of shore leave, and since the two of you are working from home now, I thought I’d drop by and see you.”

B’Elanna tamped down the curl of irritation she felt over that. Yes, both she and Tom worked from home now, but it didn’t mean they weren’t _busy_. “You’re welcome to use the holodeck,” B’Elanna said quickly. “But I’ve got work to do.”

“Ok. When do you think Tom will be back?”

B’Elanna shrugged. “Some time this evening. You never know how these meetings go, and it also depends on which shuttle he’s able to catch. It’ll probably be at least another couple of hours.”

Harry beamed. “I can wait.” He hugged her again. “It’s good to see you, B’Elanna. I know it’s only been a few weeks, but it’s sometimes you just want to see an old friend, you know?”

B’Elanna gently broke free from his embrace. “I do. It’s good to see you, Harry.” She pointed back at the house. “I’m so sorry but I was in the middle of something for work and I really need to get back to it.”

Back in her office, B’Elanna finally located the schematics with the manifold problem and was examining the flange drawings more carefully when her comm beeped. It was Tom. The signal was wobbly, and there was a lot of background noise, but she could see that he was seated in the middle seat on a very crowded shuttle.

“I was hoping you’d avoid the rush hour commute,” B’Elanna said.

“Yeah, me too. How is everything?”

“Good.” She paused and then said, “Harry is here.”

“Harry?” Tom frowned. “Isn’t he supposed to be on Bajor?”

“That’s what I thought too, but currently he’s in our holodeck.”

Tom sighed. “I hope you warned him that it’d be a while before I got home.”

“He says he’s got time.”

“Good, I’d hate for him to come all of this way and not see him.”

B’Elanna pressed her fingers to the small viewscreen, stroking the part of the screen that showed Tom’s cheek. She knew he couldn’t feel her touch, but the gesture gave her comfort. He’d only been gone for the day, but she did look forward to their evenings together, especially after Miral went to bed. She turned back to the schematic and had identified the alignment problem when there was a knock at the door. Again, it was Korinne, this time with a pig-tailed Miral in tow. As B’Elanna cuddled her daughter, Korinne took a deep breath.

“Now there are two of them,” Korinne said.

“Two of whom?” B’Elanna blinked. Korinne did have an annoying habit of starting conversations in mid-thought, and more than once B’Elanna had reminded Korinne to start at the beginning, that without background or context, it was nearly impossible to know what she was talking about.

“Two guys in the holodeck.”

B’Elanna blinked again. “Two? Who now?” Had Harry invited someone else? Had Tom, from the shuttle, invited someone else?

“He’s got dark hair, and a tattoo over his left eye.”

B’Elanna sighed. “Chakotay.” Wasn’t Chakotay on Dorvan V or wherever it was he called home these days?

“He just got here. He wants to run a program called Sandrine’s.”

“I don’t think we have that one anymore,” B’Elanna said. In fact, B’Elanna was pretty sure that that file had been corrupted during a holodeck recalibration while they were still on _Voyager_. She didn’t think Tom had had the opportunity to restore that program yet.

“Well, he and Buster are arguing about it.”

B’Elanna got up from her seat, throwing a baleful look in the direction of her monitor. “I’ll go talk to him.”

Once again, she made the trek between the house and the holodeck and sure enough, there was Chakotay, dressed in civilian garb, and duffle bag at his feet. The world of Captain Proton had disappeared and Harry and Chakotay were standing in the black and yellow grid of the holodeck. Harry was talking animatedly and Chakotay was listening intently.

“B’Elanna!” Chakotay said with delight.

“Hi,” she said, accepting his hug before stepping back. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to see you but what are you doing here?”

“Passing through on my way to Earth. I’m giving a paper at the Sorbonne and thought I’d take the opportunity to see if you and Tom were home.” Chakotay grinned his dimple-revealing grin. B’Elanna refused to take the bait. Years and years ago, that smile made her a bit weak in the knees, but not now. In fact, she was irritated that Chakotay would even _try_.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Harry said to her, “because Chakotay and I can’t agree on which program to run. I‘d already started Captain Proton and was hoping to experience Tom’s latest episode—”

“But it’s Friday night,” Chakotay broke in. “Sandrine’s would be perfect for relaxation. I know we’ve all had a long hard week and—”

“And I’m still in the middle of my work week,” B’Elanna said. She waved her hand towards the holodeck control panel. “The entire library is available in the database. Tom’s got a few programs in there you might agree on, including a new one based on a bar in Boston. That might be relaxing for you, Chakotay, and something new for you, Harry. And if you don’t like any of those, there’s plenty to browse through.”

With that, she turned on her heel and went back to her office. As she responded to the urgent request for help with clear directions on the dimensions of the flange, there was another knock at the door but this time Korinne didn’t wait for B’Elanna to admit her.

“There’s a Borg and an admiral now,” Korinne said breathlessly and B’Elanna knew she had been running.

B’Elanna slammed her PADD down. “ _Which_ Borg and _which_ admiral?” she asked finally. Had Icheb shown up because there was a day off from the Academy? And was Owen Paris on Mars or was it Kathryn Janeway? And really, now these were all just details. The bigger question was what were all these people doing in her holodeck?

“Um, the Borg is blond, and the admiral has red hair.”

B’Elanna grimaced. She hadn’t spoken to Seven of Nine in months and wasn’t Janeway supposed to be diplomating somewhere? “Are they ok?” B’Elanna finally asked.

“They seem to be. The admiral said something about wanting to revisit an old Irish town?”

B’Elanna groaned. Fair Haven, the bane of her existence. “I don’t know if we still have that one in the library but if they find it and they can _all_ agree on it, that’s great.” She gestured toward her computer. “I’m sorry, but I’ve really got to get this done.”

As Korinne’s footsteps receded, B’Elanna continued documenting her instructions to the UP shipyard. She had just sent off the note when there was a buzz on her comm device. She snatched it up, hoping it was Tom.

“Looks like the Doctor is coming by. He’s on his way to Risa to deliver the keynote speech at a particularly important medical conference,” Harry said. “Do you have any beer?”

“Uh, I don’t know.” B’Elanna mentally went through her inventory. “I think we have some _raktaccinos_ , and maybe some champagne and wine.”

“I guess that’ll do,” Harry said, but B’Elanna could hear the disappointment in his voice. “Janeway _really_ needs a drink.”

“On my way.”

B’Elanna swung by the kitchen and was able to locate a bottle of champagne, and two bottles of red wine. As she suspected, no beer. She didn’t see anything readily prepared for appetizers in either the refrigerator or freezer, but the guests in the holodeck hadn’t yet asked for food. Maybe they would leave before they got hungry.

When the doors to the holodeck opened, she saw that the group had finally settled on a program – the bar in Boston. She stepped inside an Irish pub with wooden paneling on the walls. The bar was horseshoe-shaped, and glasses and bottles hung from an overhead rack. Backless stools surrounded the bar. Seven and Harry were animatedly talking while Chakotay was behind the bar looking in all the cabinets, while Janeway – dressed in an 18th century dress – was directly opposite, her fingers gently stroking Chakotay’s forearm.

“Um, hi,” B’Elanna said. She awkwardly placed the three bottles on the bar. “This is all that we have.”

“Great, thanks!” Harry said. “But I was hoping you had beer…”

“We don’t. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, B’Elanna. What you brought is perfect. So sorry for dropping in on you at the last minute,” Janeway said silkily. “But I had a meeting all day at UP, and I just needed to get away. So, I appreciate you hosting us.”

B’Elanna looked pointedly at Seven. “And what’s your story?”

Seven arched her eyebrow. “The Doctor requested that I meet him here. He is scheduled to present a paper at Starbase 47 in three days and wishes my opinion. This seemed to be a good meeting spot for both of us.”

“I thought it was Risa?” B’Elanna did her best to keep her voice level.

Seven looked confused. “His note did say specifically Starbase 47. I assure you I did not mistake the location.”

For Seven’s sake, B’Elanna sincerely hoped so.

“This is great!” Harry said happily. “Impromptu reunion! When did Tom say he’d be home?”

“I don’t know. It might be late.” B’Elanna watched as Chakotay popped open the Merlot and poured Janeway a generous portion. “Sorry to leave, everyone, but I have to get back to work.”

The response from Reg Barclay at UP was waiting by the time B’Elanna returned to her desk.

_Thanks, Torres, I knew I could depend on you. Could you confirm the mating face materials? Looks like we got a mismatch and would like confirmation. Also, what is the exact formulation for the plasma blend? Also, there are some questions around the chemical resistance and temperature ranges for operational parameters. Let me know what you think. Sorry for being such a pain on a Friday night, but as we get closer to the shakedown cruise, well, you know how it goes. Thanks. Reg._

B’Elanna pulled and highlighted the relevant documents and sent them off, vaguely wondering why Barclay couldn’t just locate the set on file in the office. She checked her message queue hoping to see she’d made some headway, but damned if the thing wasn’t longer than it had been when she’d gotten started. She sat back in her chair, feeling even more overwhelmed. She wondered what time Tom would be home. She quickly ran through more emails and it seemed as if the issues were piling up at the shipyard, but it was impossible to concentrate as her thoughts kept wandering to the holodeck. With a sigh, she pushed her chair back, and made her way out across the now well-worn path.

As she entered, everyone inside looked up and yelled “B’Elanna!”

She paused, noting that at some point Tuvok had arrived, and Neelix too. _Neelix_? Hadn’t they left him living happily ever after back in the Delta Quadrant? Where in _grethor_ had he come from? And now there was food on the table, too. A cake, something _yellow_ in a casserole dish… and beer. Where did the beer come from?

As if anticipating B’Elanna’s question, Harry said quickly, “We decided to replicate some food. I hope you don’t mind.”

B’Elanna finally found her voice. “What… is that stuff inside the casserole?” It smelled suspiciously like leola root.

“B’Elanna!” Neelix bounded over to her and wrapped her in an enormous bear hug. It had been years since B’Elanna had seen Neelix and clearly his penchant for colorful brocade jackets hadn’t waned during that time. “I’m so happy to see you! And I have to tell you, those Borg transwarp conduits are extremely efficient for travel. I will definitely make more use of them in the future.” B’Elanna blinked. Hadn’t they closed the Borg transwarp conduits on their return to the Alpha Quadarant? But she didn’t have a chance to ask Neelix for more information because his words tumbled out in a breathless flurry. “When I contacted the Admiral, she told me everyone was meeting here, and so we decided to come as fast as we could and I’m so glad we did. It’s so good to see you!” He pointed. “Dexa, you remember B’Elanna, right? And I’m sure Brax is quite a bit taller since you saw him last!”

Brax, Dexa’s son, indeed had shot up in the last three years and now was nearly eye-level with B’Elanna. After B’Elanna gamely made a few comments about how grown up Brax was and how _lovely_ it was to see Dexa again, she turned to Harry.

“Harry,” she said. “What is going on?”

“Don’t worry. We’re all having a good time,” he said cheerfully. “We’re just waiting on Tom. And you. I mean, it’s your holodeck and the two of you are the only ones who aren’t here.” He pressed a glass of champagne in her hand. “Cheers!”

B’Elanna reluctantly took the drink. It felt good to be with friends, but she kept thinking about the work back at her desk. At one point, she surreptitiously checked her comm device to check on Tom’s shuttle. He was still more than an hour away. At one point, she witnessed a bewildered Korinne escorting the Doctor inside. B’Elanna blanched.

“B’Elanna!” the Doctor exclaimed exuberantly.

“Hello, Doctor.”

“It is good to see you. I did want to tell you that you and Mr. Paris are overdue for your physicals,” the Doctor said.

“Yes, I know,” B’Elanna said waving off the comment with her hand. “I promise, I’ll schedule one soon.” The words were hardly out of her mouth as the Doctor abruptly changed direction and went towards Seven. Now saved from a very public discussion of her medical records, B’Elanna noted out of the corner of her eye that Brax was chasing Miral. At least they were having a good time together. She glanced over at Janeway who was now leaning even closer to Chakotay. The bottle of Merlot they had been sharing was empty and they were halfway through the second one.

“So, I told Admiral C’hyel’a that we had to look for another solution,” Janeway was saying, her fingers wrapping and unwrapping the stem of her wine glass. “Going in phasers first isn’t always the best and most prudent course of action.”

“If there’s anything I learned from you, it’s that there’s _always_ another way,” Chakotay said, and he showed off blindingly white teeth and his dimples. “What did C’hyel’a say in response?”

Janeway sighed. “Well, that I’d spent too many years in the Delta Quadrant, missing the Dominion War, away from the hierarchy, and so of course I think I can talk my way out of anything.” Her face crumpled slightly. “We agreed to regroup on Monday.”

“That’s a good idea.” Chakotay tipped his head towards an empty table at the back. “If you want to bounce some ideas off of me, I’ve got time.”

The two of them brushed by B’Elanna. She sighed, leaned against the bar, tried not to think about the work waiting for her back at her desk. Tuvok came to stand next to her.

“It is good to see you, Lieutenant—” he caught himself. “B’Elanna.”

“It’s good to see you too, Tuvok,” she said. It had been at least six months since she’d last seen the Vulcan. They had stopped at his home while traveling to Starbase 24 for a holonovel fair where Tom had been one of the invited authors. At the time, he’d been undergoing treatment for a degenerative neural disorder. That he was here and seemingly healthy warmed B’Elanna’s heart. “How is your family?”

“They are well,” Tuvok said. “My wife and I anticipate with eagerness the arrival of another grandchild.”

B’Elanna brightened. “Congratulations! That’s great news.”

“I intend to tell the admiral tonight. Also, as is most likely apparent, I received good news from my physician regarding my condition,” Tuvok said, gazing in Kathryn Janeway’s direction. “It is news I wished to deliver in person.”

“I understand,” B’Elanna said. She glanced around at all the familiar faces. For a moment, it reminded her of old times. How long had it been since they had all be together like this? She hadn’t realized how much she missed everyone from _Voyager_. She touched Tuvok’s forearm lightly. “Looks like you can tell everyone in person.”

“Indeed. It was quite a surprise to see everyone here, including Mr. Neelix.”

“That it is,” B’Elanna said. Her comm device beeped and it was finally Tom. B’Elanna quickly slipped outside to answer it. “What’s your ETA? _Everyone_ is here in the holodeck.” It was impossible to keep the frantic note out of her voice.

“ _Everyone_? Who is _everyone_?”

B’Elanna quickly explained and Tom grimaced.

“Did you invite them?” he asked.

“No!” B’Elanna said. “I’m too busy to plan a party!”

He sighed. “I guess there’s something to be said about having the place everyone wants to be…”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be home soon,” he said. He flashed her an adorable grin, the one that truly made her weak in the knees. “Hang in there.”

With Tom’s encouragement, B’Elanna squared her shoulders and returned to the holodeck. She saw that everyone was eating and enjoying themselves, but a solitary figure in the corner caught her eye. She hesitated and then made her way over to him.

“Hi Harry,” she said, slipping into the seat opposite him. He offered her a small smile, his fingers nervously tapping out a pattern on the wooden table. “I just talked to Tom. He’ll be here soon.”

“I guess it was silly for me to assume that he would just be here when I showed up without any advance notice,” Harry said with a sigh. “I just really needed a friend to talk to. In person. Over a video screen just wasn’t going to do it. It was so easy on _Voyager_ to find someone to talk to. Now it’s an interstellar trip just to find a friendly face.”

B’Elanna took in his morose expression. “Something I can help with?”

Harry shrugged. “I’m worried about my review next week. I am hoping to earn another pip but…” his voice trailed off. “I guess I needed the distraction.”

B’Elanna patted his hand lightly. “Harry, your record since we’ve been back has been stellar. Remember how long to earn your second?” And then seeing Harry’s reaction to that comment, she quickly added, “Oh right. Forget I said that. I have no doubt that you will have that third pip on your collar in no time, but two promotions in three years is extremely ambitious.”

“Well, I hope the powers that be agree with you,” Harry said. He let out a big sigh, shaking his head slightly. “I thought a few hours of Captain Proton would distract me.”

“Tom will be here soon,” B’Elanna said reassuringly. She twisted in her seat to see Seven and the Doctor talking, the Doctor gesturing towards the juke box and Seven looking confused in response. Finally, the Doctor marched over to the juke box, and a song B’Elanna had never heard before started, and then the Doctor held out his hands to Seven.

“You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips,” he sang in a deep baritone. B’Elanna’s eyes widened – hadn’t he been a tenor on _Voyager_? She distinctly remembered him singing the lead aria in at least one opera. Her eyes widened even more at the sight of the Doctor spinning Seven around the floor.

Just then, Tom walked in.

“Tom!” everyone yelled.

B’Elanna covered the distance between them in a few quick steps. She hugged him, inhaling his scent, before turning him around.

“I love this song,” Tom told her. “And I love you.” He draped his arm around her shoulders lightly. “How’s everyone doing?”

“Better now that you’re here,” she told him.

“I’ve got this.” Tom smiled at her. “Go finish what you need to finish.”

Several hours later, after finishing up work, and then giving Miral a bath and reading her a story before tucking her into bed, B’Elanna went back to the holodeck. The Doctor had left, apparently with Seven who had decided to accompany her old friend to his conference, wherever it happened to be. Neelix and Dexa were speaking with Tuvok, while Chakotay and Janeway were still at their table talking in low voices, their heads close together, their fingers intertwined. Harry and Tom were standing by the jukebox. B’Elanna made her way to them.

“Thank you for listening and the support,” Harry said sincerely. “I know it was very last minute, but,” he looked down at his hands and then back at B’Elanna, “I really appreciate it.”

“Let us know how your review goes,” Tom said. He smiled. “I can’t think of anyone who deserves that pip more than you.”

“Hear hear,” Janeway said. She was back in uniform and had approached so quietly they hadn’t heard her coming. “Thank you, Tom and B’Elanna. I’ve got a seat on the last shuttle to San Francisco and there’s an admiral I need to give a piece of my mind to.” She looked gratefully at Chakotay and Tuvok. “I appreciate your advice, both of you. I’ll let you know how it goes on Monday.”

“I’ll see you to the station,” Chakotay said.

The two left, and then a moment later Tuvok also took his leave. B’Elanna once again reiterated her congratulations, and Tom looked suitably pleased, despite the lines of fatigue pulling at the corner of his eyes.

“I’m so glad we were able to make time to see old friends,” Neelix said as he and Dexa gathered their things. “And I’m especially glad Brax will be able to have some place to go once he starts at the Academy.”

B’Elanna blinked. “Academy?” while Tom asked, “Some place to go?”

“I didn’t tell you?” Neelix beamed with pride. “Brax was admitted to Starfleet Academy. He starts next year. Dexa and I are hoping to get him acquainted with the Alpha Quadrant before he starts.”

“That’s great news,” Tom said sincerely. “I’m sure Icheb can help you out. And Naomi as well.”

“We will certainly contact them,” Dexa said. “It is very nice to see you guys.”

“Good luck at the Academy,” B’Elanna said to Brax. “Let us know how we can help.”

And with that, the last of their guests left. B’Elanna turned in exhaustion to Tom.

“That was fun,” Tom said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they made their way back to the house. “Reminded me of the way things used to be.” His lips twisted up wistfully. “Sometimes, I miss what we all had together.”

B’Elanna squeezed his hand. “Well, from the sounds of it, I think they will be back. Hopefully next time, we’ll be better prepared.” A thought occurred to her. “Damn it, I forgot to ask Neelix about the transwarp conduit.”

“Send him a message in the morning.”

They tumbled into bed, and next morning, were woken by a chime at their front door and then a squealing and enthusiastic Miral. Still rubbing sleep out of her eyes, B’Elanna stumbled down to the door, toddler in tow, while Tom detoured into the kitchen. There on the doorstep stood Naomi and Icheb. B’Elanna blinked.

“Is the reunion already over?” Naomi asked, disappointment clearly etched across her features. Icheb’s expression echoed the sentiment. The two of them must have traveled all night in hopes of catching everyone. B’Elanna considered and then took a step back.

“No, you’re just in time. Come in,” she said. She hoped Tom had already replicated a big pot of coffee.

_~ the end_


End file.
